Military aircraft commonly engage in a wide range of exercises, operations, and sorties that civil and/or commercial aircraft generally do not. Such missions may include combat training, actual combat, reconnaissance, surveillance, and many other types of missions that relate to national security. Such aircraft are often required to externally carry a payload when engaging in such missions. Such payloads can include a wide variety of equipment including, but not limited to, weapons, external fuel tanks, surveillance equipment, and many other types of equipment useful for carrying out a pilot's mission objective(s).
To facilitate the mounting of a payload to an external portion of the aircraft, the aircraft may be fitted with a mounting apparatus, referred to herein as a payload mount. The payload mount may be attached to a wing, a pylon, or to another structure on the aircraft. In some instances, the payload may be mounted directly to the wing, pylon or other structure of the aircraft without an intervening payload mount. Because different payloads will have different shapes, contours, and configurations, an adapter, referred to herein as a payload mount adapter assembly, is needed to facilitate the mounting of the payload to the payload mount or directly to the aircraft structure in instances where no payload mount is needed. The payload mount adapter assembly is configured to receive many different types of payloads and is also configured to be attached to the payload mount on the aircraft.
A conventional payload mount includes a central body and multiple laterally extending sway braces. The central body includes fasteners that are configured to engage with adjustable lugs that protrude from an upper surface of the payload mount adapter assembly. The payload mount adapter assembly and the payload hang down from the fasteners with the fasteners bearing the weight of both the payload mount adapter assembly and the payload. The sway braces are configured to inhibit the payload mount adapter assembly and the payload from moving laterally (swaying) during aircraft maneuvers. The sway braces conventionally include adjustable feet that extend downwardly from each sway brace to meet an upper surface of the payload mount adapter assembly. The adjustable feet are each independently adjustable in a direction towards and away from an upper surface of the payload mount adapter assembly. This adjustability allows the sway braces to accommodate payload mount adapter assemblies that are positioned at differing distances from the central body of the payload mount.
Some of the payloads that are mounted to military aircraft need to be aimed or bore-sighted in order to be used effectively. Because the payload is not adjustable with respect to the payload mount adapter assembly, the azimuth and the elevation of the payload mount adapter assembly with respect to the payload mount has historically been adjusted when bore-sighting of the payload is required. This process of bore-sighting the payload has historically required the involvement of multiple personnel to implement a multi-step, iterative, and time consuming process by which the adjustable lugs on the payload mount adapter assembly are adjusted. Such adjustment of the adjustable lugs will change the azimuth and elevation of the payload mount adapter assembly with respect to the central body of the payload mount. This change results in a change of the azimuth and the elevation of the payload. Because the adjustable feet on the sway braces of conventional payload mounts can be adjusted inwardly and outwardly, the adjusted position of the payload mount adapter assembly with respect to the central body of the payload mount can be accommodated.
New payload mounts have begun entering the market. Such new payload mounts have sway braces that lack adjustable feet. Rather, the feet on the sway braces of the new payload mounts are fixed and unadjustable. As the fasteners on the new payload mounts are tightened, the fasteners pull upwardly on the payload mount adapter assembly until an upper surface of the payload mount adapter assembly comes to rest against each fixed foot of each sway brace. In light of this new configuration, the adjustable lugs on conventional payload mount adapter assemblies can no longer be used to adjust the azimuth and elevation of the payload because any change in the relative positions of the payload mount adapter assembly and the central body of payload mount which results from adjustment of the adjustable lugs will be offset when the fasteners pull the payload mount adapter assembly against the feet of the sway braces.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a payload mount adapter assembly that is compatible for use with the new payload mounts and which permits the azimuth and elevation of the payload to be adjusted. In addition, in light of traditional limitations on the weight of objects that may be carried by aircraft, it is desirable to provide a payload mount adapter that is relatively light weight. It is further desirable to provide a payload mount adapter assembly that allows ground crew easy access to the payload without having to remove the payload from the payload mount adapter. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.